The problem is context of a imminent pandemic situation, where what he's depriving the locals from getting is something they need in order to have the best practices to stay well and not spread the virus if they have it (and to prevent others from spreading it, by cleaning surfaces). Price gauging in that situation is wrong. May he choke on his own vomit and have no one to wipe his face clean.
Price gouging is exactly what should be happening, by the company selling the items. This tells a free market to pour in more resources toward that item in that area. That way, even if expensive, everyone gets that item.
Unfortunately we don't have a free market, hence the shortages.
One of the links didn't work, but suffice it to say that the comparison of the hurricane situation is not equal to this pandemic situation.
Did they raise the price of generators 20 fold? /s It's different than a situation where the spread of a highly contagious virus is the reason for needing certain products.
What constitutes 'normal' supply and demand during a pandemic?
When thousands of people clear out all the stock from every local store within a 100 mile radius THEY create a demand that would not have been there to that degree had normal purchase habits with cognizant store owners helping curb hoarding tendencies, to slow the effect of damaging the supply chain, because EVERYONE was advised to use products like the ones cleaned out, which caused a panic buying situation. The online greedy fuckers helped cause panic buying and hoarding behavior, leaving highest risk populations like elderly people less likely if not impossible to get the products that they need the most, or the people who are taking care of the elderly family members.
Now we have people like this https://news.yahoo.com/17-700-bottles-hand-sanitizer-155735689.html sitting on stockpiles contemplating 'selling local' because their price gouging spree was cut off. That's almost 18,000 bottles of hand sanitizer that could be helping people from all the areas they raided because of greed (did they have to buy it ALL with no regard for the local population?). People like that want to justify buying from 'remote' areas (where they rudely assume the people don't need it) and some then go on to justify raising the price as high as they can to serve people 'in remote areas' where people can't find the product because other assholes probably cleared all the stock!
The law comes into play after a state of emergency is declared.
There is room to account for preventing the seller from operating at a loss: "If the seller can prove that the increased price is directly attributable to increases in the cost of labor or materials needed to provide the good or service, the seller may not be liable under the statute."
The statute applies to the following major necessities: lodging (including permanent or temporary rental housing, hotels, motels, and mobilehomes); food and drink (including food and drink for animals); emergency supplies such as water, flashlights, radios, batteries, candles, blankets, soaps, diapers, temporary shelters, tape, toiletries, plywood, nails, and hammers; and medical supplies such as prescription and nonprescription medications, bandages, gauze, isopropyl alcohol, and antibacterial products.
It also applies to other goods and services including: home heating oil; building materials, including lumber, construction tools, and windows; transportation; freight; storage services; gasoline and other motor fuels; and repair and reconstruction services.
The demand was created in part by the same people crying that they can't sell for what they want to and that one vendor has thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer in his garage, that is now out of normal market circulation while people go without. That's his fault and to the extent people get each other sick in the areas he stripped of normal retail inventory, because they didn't have what they needed to prevent the passing of infections, that's on him.
In this particular context you won't convince me, but in other situations (where the supply chain problem is not created to such a great degree by the opportunistic vendors) then of course profit motives can bring products to people. Just because we have capitalism doesn't mean there aren't times when consumers should be protected, it happens all the time in different ways. Car lemon laws, full disclosure on existing conditions when buying a house, health standards in restaurants/food vendors, labels on food items, warnings on packaging, all of which affect prices to some degree or another.
Car lemon laws, full disclosure on existing conditions when buying a house, health standards in restaurants/food vendors, labels on food items, warnings on packaging, all of which affect prices to some degree or another.
All of which could be handled by paid agencies instead of the government using force by law to enact.
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ReAwakened ago
I don't see any problem with this even if he is a beaner. He's taking the risk, he's getting the profit. It's straight up capitalism 101.
kestrel9 ago
The problem is context of a imminent pandemic situation, where what he's depriving the locals from getting is something they need in order to have the best practices to stay well and not spread the virus if they have it (and to prevent others from spreading it, by cleaning surfaces). Price gauging in that situation is wrong. May he choke on his own vomit and have no one to wipe his face clean.
Plavonica ago
No. NO! Bad! Bad dog!
Price gouging is exactly what should be happening, by the company selling the items. This tells a free market to pour in more resources toward that item in that area. That way, even if expensive, everyone gets that item.
Unfortunately we don't have a free market, hence the shortages.
kestrel9 ago
I refer to @Master_Foo's comment on the supply chain topic.
Plavonica ago
And I refer to @oar's comment on price gouging. Specifically the video he links is about price gouging in a crisis event.
kestrel9 ago
One of the links didn't work, but suffice it to say that the comparison of the hurricane situation is not equal to this pandemic situation.
Did they raise the price of generators 20 fold? /s It's different than a situation where the spread of a highly contagious virus is the reason for needing certain products.
What constitutes 'normal' supply and demand during a pandemic?
When thousands of people clear out all the stock from every local store within a 100 mile radius THEY create a demand that would not have been there to that degree had normal purchase habits with cognizant store owners helping curb hoarding tendencies, to slow the effect of damaging the supply chain, because EVERYONE was advised to use products like the ones cleaned out, which caused a panic buying situation. The online greedy fuckers helped cause panic buying and hoarding behavior, leaving highest risk populations like elderly people less likely if not impossible to get the products that they need the most, or the people who are taking care of the elderly family members.
Now we have people like this https://news.yahoo.com/17-700-bottles-hand-sanitizer-155735689.html sitting on stockpiles contemplating 'selling local' because their price gouging spree was cut off. That's almost 18,000 bottles of hand sanitizer that could be helping people from all the areas they raided because of greed (did they have to buy it ALL with no regard for the local population?). People like that want to justify buying from 'remote' areas (where they rudely assume the people don't need it) and some then go on to justify raising the price as high as they can to serve people 'in remote areas' where people can't find the product because other assholes probably cleared all the stock!
California also has price gouging laws https://www.oag.ca.gov/consumers/pricegougingduringdisasters
The law comes into play after a state of emergency is declared.
There is room to account for preventing the seller from operating at a loss: "If the seller can prove that the increased price is directly attributable to increases in the cost of labor or materials needed to provide the good or service, the seller may not be liable under the statute."
The demand was created in part by the same people crying that they can't sell for what they want to and that one vendor has thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer in his garage, that is now out of normal market circulation while people go without. That's his fault and to the extent people get each other sick in the areas he stripped of normal retail inventory, because they didn't have what they needed to prevent the passing of infections, that's on him.
https://www.oag.ca.gov/consumers/pricegougingduringdisasters
Plavonica ago
*shrug
I'll not convince you. But others may recognize that this is why we can't have a truly free market.
kestrel9 ago
In this particular context you won't convince me, but in other situations (where the supply chain problem is not created to such a great degree by the opportunistic vendors) then of course profit motives can bring products to people. Just because we have capitalism doesn't mean there aren't times when consumers should be protected, it happens all the time in different ways. Car lemon laws, full disclosure on existing conditions when buying a house, health standards in restaurants/food vendors, labels on food items, warnings on packaging, all of which affect prices to some degree or another.
Plavonica ago
All of which could be handled by paid agencies instead of the government using force by law to enact.
kestrel9 ago
True, not against that. Government is a royal pain much of the time and they tend to waste a lot of money (not to mention people's time) imho